diff --git a/src/engine/engine_collision_driver.c b/src/engine/engine_collision_driver.c
index c6f202ea..bb5976eb 100644
--- a/src/engine/engine_collision_driver.c
+++ b/src/engine/engine_collision_driver.c
@@ -279,8 +279,7 @@ void mj_collision(const mjModel* m, mjData* d) {
   }
 
   // return if disabled
-  if (mjDISABLED(mjDSBL_CONSTRAINT) || mjDISABLED(mjDSBL_CONTACT)
-      || m->nconmax == 0 || nbodyflex < 2) {
+  if (mjDISABLED(mjDSBL_CONSTRAINT) || mjDISABLED(mjDSBL_CONTACT) || nbodyflex < 2) {
     return;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/engine/engine_core_constraint.c b/src/engine/engine_core_constraint.c
index 40f37813..32683bfb 100644
--- a/src/engine/engine_core_constraint.c
+++ b/src/engine/engine_core_constraint.c
@@ -210,12 +210,6 @@ static int mj_vertBodyWeight(const mjModel* m, const mjData* d, int f, int v,
 
 // add contact to d->contact list; return 0 if success; 1 if buffer full
 int mj_addContact(const mjModel* m, mjData* d, const mjContact* con) {
-  // if nconmax is specified and ncon >= nconmax, warn and return error
-  if (m->nconmax != -1 && d->ncon >= m->nconmax) {
-    mj_warning(d, mjWARN_CONTACTFULL, d->ncon);
-    return 1;
-  }
-
   // move arena pointer back to the end of the existing contact array and invalidate efc_ arrays
   d->parena = d->ncon * sizeof(mjContact);
 #ifdef ADDRESS_SANITIZER
diff --git a/src/engine/engine_util_misc.c b/src/engine/engine_util_misc.c
index 673ad0aa..606922e1 100644
--- a/src/engine/engine_util_misc.c
+++ b/src/engine/engine_util_misc.c
@@ -1302,8 +1302,7 @@ const char* mju_warningText(int warning, size_t info) {
 
   case mjWARN_CONTACTFULL:
     mjSNPRINTF(str,
-               "Too many contacts. Either the arena memory is full, or nconmax is specified and is "
-               "exceeded. Increase arena memory allocation, or increase/remove nconmax. "
+               "Too many contacts. The arena memory is full, increase arena memory allocation."
                "(ncon = %zu)", info);
     break;
 
diff --git a/test/engine/testdata/collision_driver/midphase.xml b/test/engine/testdata/collision_driver/midphase.xml
index 49bc5dbf..274da5e0 100644
--- a/test/engine/testdata/collision_driver/midphase.xml
+++ b/test/engine/testdata/collision_driver/midphase.xml
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
   <include file="humanoid.xml"/>
   <compiler autolimits="true" boundmass="1e-05" boundinertia="1e-11" angle="radian" eulerseq="xyz"/>
   <option timestep="0.001" cone="elliptic" noslip_iterations="5" noslip_tolerance="0"/>
-  <size njmax="1000" nconmax="500"/>
   <visual>
     <headlight ambient="0.4 0.4 0.4" diffuse="0.8 0.8 0.8" specular="0.1 0.1 0.1"/>
     <map znear="0.01"/>